Where does “louseless” come from?

louseless (English) comes from English louse, from Middle English lous, from Old English lūs, from West Germanic *lūs, from Germanic *lūs, from Proto-Indo-European lewH- — louse.

louseless (English): Without lice

Definitions

  1. Without lice

Ancestry of “louseless”, step by step

louseless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English louse

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlouseA small parasitic wingless insect of the order...
2Middle Englishlouslouse; A person or thing worthy of contempt or...
3Old Englishlūslouse
4West Germanic*lūs—
5Germanic*lūs—
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

via English less

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlessTo a smaller extent or degree; comparative form...
2Middle Englishlesfalse; lying; deceptive; falsehood; a lie
3Old Englishlēasfalse, lax; false, void, loose; devoid of, loose...
4Proto-Germanic*laus—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →